All Resources

Journal Article

Focus on Physics: Elementary Electricity in a Nutshell

This column helps teachers build an understanding of physical principles. This month covers the basics of electricity....

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Document a Crime Scene With Smartphone Apps

The Idea Bank provides tips and techniques for creative teaching, in about 1,000 words. This month’s Idea Bank discusses how in a forensic science course, students apply their critical-thinking skills and knowledge of math and science to solve sim...

Journal Article

Career of the Month: Forensic Entomologist

This column shares interviews with professionals using science in the workplace. This month’s issue describes Michelle Sanford's career path to becoming a forensic entomologist....

Journal Article

Right to the Source: The History of Fingerprinting

Exploring science and history with the Library of Congress. This month's issue discusses the history of fingerprinting using a poster for a neighborhood fingerprint station used during World War II....

Journal Article

Swimming in New Vocabulary

Exploring interesting animals leads to gains in vocabulary—with an assist from technology for assessment....

Journal Article

More Than Data

Using interactive science notebooks to engage students in science and engineering...

Journal Article

From “Plants Don’t Eat” to “Plants Are Producers”

The role of vocabulary in scientific sense-making...

Journal Article

A Cucurbit Ripe for Building Vocabulary

A garden-based project offers multiple opportunities for addressing standards....

Journal Article

The Case of Polar Bears

Using a multi-literacy approach to teach about adaptation...

Journal Article

Editor's Note: Making Sense of Science Terms

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

General Science Instructional Materials Lesson Plans Teaching Strategies Literacy

Journal Article

The Building Blocks of Language

By Peggy Ashbrook

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool General Science Inquiry Literacy Mathematics Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: Inventions Take Center Stage

Exploring interesting animals leads to gains in vocabulary—with an assist from technology for assessment....

Elementary Preschool 5E Instructional Materials

Journal Article

The Poetry of Science: Words, Words, Words

Building literacy in playful, meaningful ways. This issue discusses synonyms....

Elementary General Science Lesson Plans Teaching Strategies Literacy

Journal Article

Formative Assessment Probes: Vocabulary in Context: What Is an Amphibian?

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue explores what characteristics make an amphibian....

Elementary Life Science Assessment Disciplinary Core Ideas

Journal Article

Science 101: Why Aren’t There Magnetic Charges?

This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. This month’s issue discusses electricity and magnetism....

Elementary Middle School General Science Physical Science Professional Learning old

Journal Article

Science 102: Haunted Face

This column shares exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue presents a new challenge and answers the Bouncing Ball challenge from last month....

Elementary High School Middle School Physical Science Inquiry Phenomena Labs

Journal Article

Engineering Encounters: Chemical Reaction Vehicles

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. In this issue a STEM project takes off in fifth-grade classrooms....

Elementary Engineering Physical Science STEM Citizen Science

Journal Article

Methods and Strategies: Time to Change

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month’s issue discusses embedding literacy into the 5E while addressing the principles of the Next Generation Science Standards....

Elementary General Science 5E Assessment NGSS Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Professional Learning old

Journal Article

Teaching Teachers: Is It Worth It? Can I Do It?

This column enhances the repertoire of preservice and inservice teachers. An interactive word wall professional development explores how to build language proficiency during a science lesson....

Elementary Literacy Professional Learning old

Journal Article

Inquiry Into Action: Ecosystems and Animals

Explore endangered animals that zoos and aquariums are working to protect....

Journal Article

Building Bee Houses: Designing and Constructing Solitary Bee Houses for Scientific Investigations

Engineer a habitat for pollinators that will increase their numbers and diversity—and answer a student-generated research question....

Journal Article

Out in the Field: Learning About Plant Diversity

Use plant-based education to teach students about the environment in which they live....

Journal Article

Teaching NGSS-Aligned Lessons in Science Classrooms

Learn to design and present three-dimensional science lessons....

Journal Article

Integrating Technology: Weather Versus Climate

This column shares how teachers use technology for assessment, student learning, or classroom management. Helping middle school students distinguish the differences during an after-school STEM career club....

Journal Article

Teacher's Toolkit: How to Start a STEM Club

This column provides how-to strategies and practical advice for the science teacher. This month’s issue describes the steps (and challenges) involved with implementing an after-school STEM career club that links hands-on activities to college majo...

Journal Article

From the Editor’s Desk: Sparking the “Need to Know”

Science Scope’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Journal Article

Citizen Science: Where the Wildlife Are

This column highlights formal and informal science research projects that students can join and contribute to by gathering and sharing data. See wildlife and do science with eMammal....

Journal Article

Disequilibrium: Exploring Buoyancy and Density with Cartesian Divers

This column shows how to use discrepant events to confront misconceptions.In this month’s column, students design and test Cartesian divers....

Journal Article

Listserv Roundup: Technology tools for a paperless classroom

This column shares recent conversations taken from the NSTA listserv community about current science education topics.This month shares how to create a paperless classroom....

Journal Article

Science For All: Planning and Preparing Your Students With Special Needs

This column shares strategies for increasing student engagement. This issue presents a few suggestions to help your students with ADHD and autism benefit from a field trip....

Journal Article

Teacher To Teacher: Teaching With Learning Cycles and Storylines

This column provides practical advice from your peers. This issue discusses how to frame the learning cycle around a storyline....

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Measuring the Universe

This column focuses on astronomy throughout the year. This month’s issue discusses how to measure how far away galaxies are....

Journal Article

Preparing Preservice K–8 Teachers for the Public School: Improving Evolution Attitudes, Misconceptions, and Legal Confusion

The study in this article examines the effectiveness of a curriculum on preservice teachers’ attitudes and knowledge of evolution and legalities of teaching it....

Journal Article

Impact of a Robert Noyce Scholarship on STEM Teacher Recruitment

Funding from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program supports the University of Portland Noyce Scholars and Interns Program (University of Portland Noyce Program). This study examined the first 3 years of the University of Portland Noyce Progra...

Journal Article

Using Clickers for Deliberate Practice in Five Large Science Courses

Clickers are often used as an active learning tool in face-to-face classes to enhance student engagement and assess student learning. In this article the authors share the variety of ways they use clicker questions to promote deliberate practice in l...

Journal Article

Case Study: Assembling a Case Study Tool Kit: 10 Tools for Teaching With Cases

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. The author shares the strategies and tools that teachers can use to manage a case study classroom eff...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: What Determines Student Acceptance of Politically Controversial Scientific Conclusions?

The authors use large-scale survey data to explore the nature, extent, and determinants of student resistance to scientific conclusions about evolution, anthropogenic climate change, and the importance of vaccination....

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Show Me the Way: Future Faculty Prefer Directive Feedback When Trying Active Learning Approaches

In this study, the authors incorporate feedback as a key component of a pedagogical course for future faculty who had never taught or were currently novice teaching assistants. They studied (a) how future faculty’s teaching beliefs changed over the...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Introducing Engineering Design to a Science Teaching Methods Course Through Educational Robotics and Exploring Changes in Views of Preservice Elementary Teachers

Preservice elementary teachers need to know how to integrate the engineering design process into their science teaching. In this article, the authors describe how they used the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Kit as part of a NGSS-aligned engineering unit in an ...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Comparing Student Learning in the Team-Based Learning Classroom With Different Team Reporting Methods

The increase in classroom technology has resulted in the use of clickers and other audience response systems (ARS) for simultaneous reporting of choices in the team-based learning (TBL) classroom. A variety of techniques and practices using ARS techn...